Multnomah County Commissioners: We're Done Talking About Jeff Cogen

The five officials on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners put up a united front tonight: They're no longer discussing former Chairman Jeff Cogen's affair with a county employee.

"Any remaining questions should be directed to either investigators or
the two people responsible for this situation: Jeff Cogen and Sonia
Manhas, neither of whom are county employees anymore," the five commissioners write.

Cogen resigned from the commission in September. Commissioner Deborah Kafoury has resigned to run for Cogen's seat. That leaves a board made up of Marissa Madrigal, Diane McKeel, Judy Shiprack, Loretta Smith and Liesl Wendt.

The statement from the county board reads in its entirety:

The Oregon Department of Justice investigation of Jeff Cogen is over. It is clear from the report that Multnomah County employees cooperated fully with investigators, as was requested of them. Any remaining questions should be directed to either investigators or the two people responsible for this situation: Jeff Cogen and Sonia Manhas, neither of whom are county employees anymore. We’re happy to talk about the great work our employees do helping seniors, people struggling with mental health issues, veterans, children, the homeless and other vulnerable populations. But we won’t be commenting any further on the subject of Jeff Cogen's behavior.